GoingTrueGreen's Blog Postings - Going True Green

My Presentation Video

9/21/2023

Bill Lauto, Going True Green, GoingTrueGreen, 5th Edition of Euro Global Conference, Food Science And Technology, Valencia, Spain, FAT conference, World's Food Supply, Food Predictions, Food Production, Effects on Poor.

My presentation, World's Food Supply: Predictions vs Production Solutions with Probable Effects on the Poor, went very well. This was the 5th Euro Global Conference on Food Science And Technology. For 2023 the 3 day conference was held in Valencia, Spain, and scientists came together from around the world. I established new contacts with scholars from countries in Africa, South and North America, Asia, an Europe. I attended several presentations over the 3 day conference and was able to communicate with many people working hard to make a difference.

After receiving emails asking for copies of my presentation, I decided to post the recorded video on this blog in its entirety for a month. Afterwards, a summary video will be posted and the full version will be available in Going True Green's Members section.

INTRODUCTION, Part One of Four

PART TWO

PART THREE

CONCLUSION, Part Four

With any questions, please do not hesitate to email me. Thank you.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Clear the Air with House Plants

1/30/2023

air, air quality, indoor air pollution, indoor air, air filters, plants, boston ferns, hepa filters, NASA, air contamination, formaldehyde, oxygen, trichloroethylene, toxins, fertilizer, toluene, xylene, sunlight, green leaves, benzene, peat moss, goingtruegreen, going green, sustainable living

Electrical Air Filter

VS

air, air quality, indoor air pollution, indoor air, air filters, plants, boston ferns, hepa filters, NASA, air contamination, formaldehyde, oxygen, trichloroethylene, toxins, fertilizer, toluene, xylene, sunlight, green leaves, benzene, peat moss, goingtruegreen, going green, sustainable living

Boston Fern

I have purchased many different types of air filters since the 1980s. I stopped buying them just after the turn into this century. Perhaps I was just buying a "bill of goods" just like Bottled Water is today, but some of the HEPA filters did help with my Hay-fever days. Then there was the cost to operate them... the electric bill, batteries, replacement filters. When winter enters the equation, we have the heat on and air circulation is cut dramatically due to closed doors and windows. Unlike AC units in the summertime that have filters, heating systems raise dust and do not filter. Yet, there is always another way, a better way.

About twenty plus years ago, at least three investigators with NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America found that specific house plants were very good at expunging elements expelled by items such as: new rugs, building materials, furnishings, cleaning agents, paints, varnishes, cigarettes, fabrics, preserved foods and other airborne pollutants.

Everyday items found in every home and office contribute to indoor air contamination. So to improve air quality and add oxygen into your living and working spaces, adding certain types of plants will make a difference for the better.

We already know that plants take in carbon dioxide and substances from the surrounding air through openings in each leaf. These elements are pollutants to us, but are broken down by plants to become food through translocation to the roots of the plant. Below is a list of plants that work the best for cleaning indoor air. They are in alphabetical order:

Aloe Vera
Known For:    Treatment for cuts, scraps and minor burns
Accomplish:   Removes benzene and formaldehyde
Care: Sun, well drainage and don’t over water

Areca Palm:
Known For:    Seven foot height, grow 7 inches per year
Accomplish:   Absorbs formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene
Care: Indirect Sunlight, water and fertilizer

Bamboo Palm:
Known For:    Loves the tropical amount of sunlight
Accomplish:   Removes trichloroethylene toxins
Care: Water only when the soil is dry and never overwater
Boston Ferns:
Known For:    Needs space to spread and grow its fronds
Accomplish:   Removes formaldehyde and improves oxygen levels
Care: Water frequently, mist twice per week and add peat moss

Gerber Daisies:
Known For:    A variety of bright colors and broad green leaves
Accomplish:   Absorbs benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene
Care: Direct sunlight and moist soil

Peace Lilies:
Known For:    Inability to tolerate cold, love warm and humid climates
Accomplish:   Absorbs benzene and trichloroethylene
Care: Direct sunlight and moist soil that drains well

Snake Plant
Known For:    Available in yellow, dark and light greens
Accomplish:   Removes formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, xylene, and trichloroethylene
Care: Indirect sunlight and keep the soil dry

There are a few more plants that can help, nevertheless, using house plants in your home or office saves money while being Eco-friendly with cleaning out indoor air toxins.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Earth Breeze Product Review

10/21/2022

Earth, earth breeze, laundry, detergent, eco, clean, fragrance, biodegradable, he, detergent sheets, sustainability, sustainable living, energy savings, water savings

Earth, earth breeze, laundry, detergent, eco, clean, fragrance, biodegradable, he, detergent sheets, sustainability, sustainable living, energy savings, water savings

My cousin Emily told me about Earth Breeze's laundry detergent sheets. These solidified soapy sheets Immediately provide benefits to eliminate large plastic containers from our environment. This offers savings on the issues with raw materials, manufacturing and disposal of the large plastic laundry detergent containers.

After using and testing this new product for three months, I am happy to report that my clothes are just as clean. I no longer have to clean up liquid laundry detergent from the occasional spill. They work fine in my energy and water efficient front load washing machine and you can enlarge the above images to read more about the details.

However, these solidified soapy sheets are made in China. We must consider components like price that will always be affected by the supply chain size. Distance between manufacturing and consumer is considered sustainable by most scientists when within 200 to 250 miles. I myself always ask if the carbon emissions created by shipping across half the planet outweigh the carbon emissions saved. Therefore, when consumer choices must be made in the realm of sustainability, all factors must be evaluated. I will be seeking out another manufacturer who makes the same product but with a far shorter Supply Chain, because everything will be made here in the United States of America.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

BBV Publishing, BBVpublishing, L. J. Williams, READING SKILLS, read, sustainability

Sneezing Outside The Box

10/7/2022

Sneezing, Think outside the box, paper, cardboard, plastic, refill, tissues, improvise, sustainability, going true green, Fire departments, recycle, waste pail, wooden boxes, paper bags

Homemade Tissue Box

We all use them...
Tissues are very useful and because everyone uses tissues one time or many times in their lives, perhaps we should use some good old American ingenuity to improvise the way they are sold.

The image shown is a tissue box I made to cover the cardboard tissue box purchased in a store. I used left over pieces of wood from other projects and made a matching waste pail. Now while these actions avoided the purchase of new wood and a tissue box cover and pail made of plastic, the key word is plastic, I also was trapped in a whirlpool of thought involving redundancy.

The very wooden cover I made in the shape of a box, was covering a cardboard box. A cardboard box that may get recycled, tossed into the garbage or very rarely today, used to build a house for toys by turning the box inside out and drawing windows and doors upon the surface. When I was a kid, I did that all the time. Cereal boxes became castles, cookie boxes became Fire Departments for Matchbox cars and Refrigerator boxes became space ships. Sadly, are those days of creativity over?

Nevertheless, my wooden box and plastic box covers create redundancy. We do not need two boxes, so hopefully the manufacturing companies of tissues in boxes can take this suggestion to the bank. They can save production money while less cardboard is used or wasted. A lower manufacturing cost should mean lower prices for us the consumer! Additionally, all the cardboard being saved will help our environment.

The solution is easy... sell the tissues in a paper, not plastic, a paper bag as a refill in the boxes we already have at home. Perhaps even do an Introductory Offer by selling different sized decorative boxes for the bag of refill tissues. My parents had a nice metal tissue box cover from when they were married. That decorative metal tissue box cover lasted almost 50 years before the edges started to rust. When I saw the rust, I painted the box with a new color.

Tissues sold as refills and packaged in paper instead of cardboard will be more sustainable across-the-board. Reason being, paper gets recycled more than cardboard.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Sustainable Shoes Kids Can't Outgrow!

4/12/2022

Kenton Lee, Because International, Shoe that grows, nairobi, kenya, parasites, shoes, kids, sandal, leather sandal, barefoot

Image from Because International

Kids wear out and outgrow shoes all the time. This reality applies pressure on raw materials, waste management, our budgets, and medical support for kids that contract parasites or other diseases when walking barefoot to school or work. The world has multitudes of children that don't have shoes to wear because of availability and cost.

Enter Mr. Kenton Lee, who is an entrepreneur with the invention of a shoe that grows! When working at an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya, Lee came up with the idea of a leather sandal that could expand five sizes. Thus allowing the shoes to last years for a kid and save money, materials, and waste.

However, having a brilliant and more sustainable idea is not enough. I know first hand with my own trademarks and patented invention, that this is always the case. Lee even tried to give the idea away for free to a shoe company, but there seems to be an inherited inhibitor in all corporations that believe they must put profits ahead of people.

Kenton Lee, Because International, Shoe that grows, nairobi, kenya, parasites, shoes, kids, sandal, leather sandal, barefoot, going true green, sustainability, recycle, waste not

Image from Because International

Notwithstanding, Lee started his own nonprofit company, "Because International" to get his prototype shoe out there. Today the Shoe That Grows is in 100 countries and is getting worldwide admiration. Lee was quoted explaining how the shoe works, “Basically, the kids can adjust the shoe on the top with Velcro straps and an adjustable toe piece. Then, the bottom of the shoe unfolds as the foot naturally grows.”

Visit Because International with the Link above. If you are blessed with a child, you may want a pair for your kid.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

This EASTER, read a Historical Novel that presents data based probabilities proving the truth.

This Easter Read a Historical Novel With 5 Stars!
Upper Room, The Way: 33AD to 57AD

5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully Crafted Retelling of a Timeless Story
By Page Turner Format: Paperback | Verified Purchase
This book was a real eye opener and a must read for anyone interested in the Shroud of Turin. It is a beautifully crafted narrative of the events surrounding the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the effects of this miracle upon His followers and foes alike. Meticulously researched, this story brings together the Gospel accounts in the Bible and apocryphal works, weaving a compelling tale of the origins of what blossomed into Christianity as we know it today. The traditional cast is all here, The Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, the Apostles, even Pontius Pilate, but each is brought to life in new and surprising ways that will challenge readers to rethink much of what they have previously assumed about them. Beyond that, this novel is moving, creative and riveting all at the same time. A real gem!
Both Digital and Hardcopy available at Amazon.

PlayBack Program For Toys

1/18/2022

Mattel, PlayBack, PlayBack program, toys, Christmas, recycled toys, recycle, reuse, reduce, landfill, sustainability, plastics, copolymers, Mattel's PlayBack, bio-based, Dark Tower

Image of Toys from Mattel's Web Page

After Christmas and the holidays, many gifts have been exchanged, especially toys. From when I was young, I still have some board games and toys, such as Dark Tower and G. I. Joe. The remaining toys that I had, I gave to others to enjoy and play. I did this via family, friends, church and charities. However, the bulk of most toys in this world still end up in landfills.

One positive action to stop the flow of toys to landfill came about almost one year ago when Mattel announced a new program called PlayBack. By 2030 the company wants to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials for all their toys and packages.

So to start, they are operating a program that will take back Barbie, Matchbox and Mega toys for recycling. This way, materials can be used again in making new toys, for another generation of kids.

Grown up kids and parents who know that a toy has been played with and is now ready to be passed on to another child to love, can do so directly themselves as I did in the past, or visit Mattel's PlayBack program. (Link provided)
All you have to do is fill out the form, pack up the toys and Mattel pays for the shipping fees back to them.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Sustainable Living Art by Saving Fabric

12/18/2021

Bonnie Barbera, Scrooge, fabric, fabric stash, quilts, art quilts, quilter, quilters, sustainable, saving fabric scraps, cotton, denim, silk, going true green, muslin

Quilt work section in progress by Bonnie Barbera

We all have a talent, gift and/or kind soul. Sad and true that some people never realize this fact and perhaps stay as a Ebeneezer Scrooge for life. Additionally, we all cannot do everything to help save the world. Whatever our forte may be, that is what we can concentrate on to make a difference.

Allow me to share with you an extraordinary attainment by a very modest woman named Bonnie B. Barbera who is a quilter. She makes bed quilts and everyday items from leftover pieces of material. These same leftover tiny pieces of fabric also become her palette for the creation of her Art Quilts. From “scraps” of material, that you and I would throw away, Bonnie creates art masterpieces.

These beautiful art quilts start with saving and maintaining a fabric stash. I saw multiple colors stored in bins, all from scraps of material. I was impressed. When I asked Bonnie about the task to collect and sort, Bonnie’s answer was a modest one.

“A fabric ‘stash’ is a practice that is certainly common for many, many, quilters. Patchwork quilts have been made for hundreds of years out of saved scraps. As you can see, I store each color range in separate bins.”

Sustainable Living circled in my head as I viewed this amazing artist’s studio where she worked. I then asked Bonnie about the art quilts she was currently working on and she explained by saying, “The art quilts that I’ve done incorporate fabric collage, raw edge appliqué and free-motion quilting. I use bits and scraps of cotton, denim, silk and other fabric blends that I have saved from all of my more utilitarian quilt projects over the last 9 years. I try very hard not to purchase any new fabrics (with the exception of small amounts of white muslin when I absolutely need pure white). I always try very hard to make what I have on hand work. If I can't find the color I need in my stash, I'll take two or more scraps that once combined, will produce the color effect that I seek.”

The following three images show the process of making an art quilt and Bonnie describes the process as follows:

“A quilt has thee layers - Top, Batting and Bottom. The part that is shown pinned together is the top layer. After I pin the image, I sew down all of the tiny pieces on the sewing machine to secure them. That is not the only time I sew the image. I then ‘sandwich’ the top with two layers of batting beneath that, and a backing layer of cotton for the bottom layer. Once that sandwich is pinned securely, I then machine-quilt through all of the layers in a way that enhances the depth of the piece and provides texture where I want it. Finally the quilt edges are bound.”

Bonnie is making quilts, art work and a difference with her talent that holds a sustainable element. Would it not be wonderful, if Christmas morning, we all found our sustainable talent under the tree?

For more of Bonnie’s work, she can be reached at her Instagram Link:
https://www.Instagram.com/bonnie.b.Barbera/
Merry Christmas everyone!

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

The Rain Collection

7/28/2021

rain barrel, rain collection, save water, water, storm water, cisterns, Bermuda, water collection, water bill, groundwater, alternative water supply, rain barrels, sustainable living, drinkable water, economist, Thomas Malthus, rainwater, rainwater capture, rain basins, gardens

Rain Collection with Rock Look

Our world's supply of clean drinkable water is not increasing, yet the number of humans living on our planet is growing. (Some have estimated that our supply of clean drinkable water is less than 1% of all the water on Earth.)

I have recently heard some very well educated and well-to-do people express the view of economist Thomas Malthus who argued that the continued increases in the world's population would overtake the development of sufficient crops and drinkable water, thus diminishing our ability to sustain ourselves. Mr. Malthus lived 1766 to 1834 and as for the people of today expressing this argument, I disagree 100%. Mr. Malthus was wrong with his doomsday outlook then and those claiming the same today are also wrong.

Are these people stating this chilling statement today suggesting that the recommendation made by Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, should be implemented?

As a reminder, Scrooge is visited by two benefactors wishing to collect provision for the destitute at Christmas time. Scrooge angrily replies that prisons and workhouses are the only institutions he is willing to support. One of the benefactors states that many can’t go there; and many would rather die. Scrooge then takes the Malthusian view to another level by claiming that the poor and ill are surplus to the needs of society and if they would rather die, they’d better do it, and decrease the surplus population.

Later in the novel A Christmas Carol, Scrooge's own words are used against him by asking if he will get to decide who lives or dies? No human has that right over another human.

Additionally, the nay sayers harboring this pessimistic prediction are wrong because they omit the ingenuity of free men and women. They are wrong because they have no faith in humankind coming together as one team to find another way, like we have done time after time. Additionally, they are fearful of this doomsday outcome, because in my opinion, they are most likely Godless.

Having a collection, a Rain Collection, is the most valued collection we can have. Water Is Our Most Precious Commodity and by clicking on those words highlighting the title of our on-line Water class for all GTG members, more info on our membership page will open. So what do I see that makes me believe in a positive outcome with our drinking water supply?

For years I have been collecting rainwater off my roof to reduce my water use outside. People all over the world are using systems to collect rain water that are centuries old. The Island of Bermuda probably leads the world in collecting rain water off rooftops and not just for outside use, but also for drinking.

I have rain barrels, but more and more people are setting up cistern systems for an alternative supply of water. This reduces the use of groundwater, reduces storm water run off that will reduce litter entering our sewers that go directly to our waterways and reduces our water bills. When collected off a slate roof, the collected rain water can be used to wash off outdoor items, such as chairs or a car. When rain water is filtered and distilled properly from a well maintained slate roof and cistern system that has regular tests checking for bacteria, then washing clothes, showering, and drinking becomes possible.

With additional water supplies, gardens abound creating an increase in food access. Neighborhood carbon footprints are reduced as all people come together to share, promote, educate in the areas of health, nutrition and growing crops. Rain basins, rainwater capture and new water infrastructures utilizing new techniques or old, help our environment. Homeowners can save thousands of gallons of water each year. I have 4 barrels holding a total of 225 gallons of water and they are filled at least 7 times per year. That is approximately 1,575 gallons of water saved per year, just by me. So yes, Mr. Malthusian, Mr. Scrooge and some powerful people of today, your predictions have been and will still be proven wrong just as long as humankind has faith and is free.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Future Communications with Going True Green

1/27/2021

YouTube, FaceTime, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, communication, sustainability, going green, effective communication, social media, conglomerate

Bye Bye

We have been studying the different ways Going True Green has been communicating over recent years and the following results are being presented in order to notify every one of the changes that we will be making over the coming weeks.

Going True Green will no longer be using several Social Media platforms, because they have not produced effective and productive communications between GTG and a Follower, Visitor, Friend, Client or GTG Lifetime Member.

In fact, we have seen that the most productive and effective communication we have with anyone, has been and still is through Electronic Mail. Yes, Email is what everyone uses to seriously communicate with us. Let the subject be on suggestions, comments, questions, specific inquires, sharing information, school projects, speaking engagements, energy audits, sustainability classes or GTG Lifetime membership.

We still have email communication with followers and members of our original websites: the LightBulbHotline and EnergyHotwire, to this day. This goes back to when in the mid 1990s we said, “We are on the Web! Visit us and here is our email address.” At that time we received several confused looks, followed by queries on how to visit our website. At the start we had everything on our website, as we still do today. Last year we closed our YouTube account after placing all our videos on our GTG Website in the GTG Lifetime Members section. Here we provide our Quick Videos and Online Classes without constant commercial interruption.

The Bottom Line is the fact that productive and effective communication is not found with an Emoji, a Like or a Following just to see a video short or photograph. To accomplish anything we all must first Read, then Listen, then Communicate with facts, so we can implement solutions as one team.

So we say Goodbye to YouTube and FaceTime. We will no longer post to Twitter and Pinterest. We will maintain LinkedIn and Instagram as we try some new ideas over time. Our time is far better spent communicating directly with you, instead of trying to catch a fleeting attention span with an entertaining photo or video. We are here to share the complete picture, all the facts, so that we the people can make a difference. One person at a time and as a conglomerate of one team.

Please consider joining our email list if you have not already joined. We only send out one to four emails per Year. Please use our Link Here. If you sign up for our emails with MailChimp, (appears at bottom of our Homepage) they will send a reminder email once a month.

Additionally, look into being a Lifetime Member with the GTG Membership Link at the top of this page. Most of all, just visit our GoingTrueGreen Website and Blog once a month to see what is new with saving Money, Energy, Health and Earth, so to live a more sustainable life without sacrifice. - Thank you.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

Sabotaged Recycling

9/18/2020

Recycle, recycling, sabotage, plastic, plastic bottles, recycling program, waste, glass, paper, trees, sorting, China, Townships, going green, going true green, sustainability, sustainable living

Sabotage Handbook

Earth Log, 1970s
Query:
Why don’t all Townships implement a recycling program?

Answer:
You will see recycling everywhere, once someone figures out how to make money from the process.

Earth Log, 1980s
Someone did and recycling started in earnest through the 1980s.
So in the beginning we were instructed to do the following when recycling…

Wash or rinse out all cans, glass and plastic bottles
Remove the paper labels from all cans, glass and plastic bottles
Recycle paper labels with newspapers and paper mail tied together with cord
Separate aluminum, glass and plastic in appropriate bins

Earth Log, 1990s
Then an anomaly occurred.

Many people in America were not rinsing out anything nor were they removing paper labels. However, they were still sorting.

Jars can’t be recycled with peanut butter at the bottom and plastic bottles can’t be recycled with paper labels still on them. The tolerance level was reaching the highest saturation percentage for the ratio of paper to plastic and food contamination to container.

So instead of “rewarding” the people for recycling correctly, the Townships didn’t re-educate the public, they threaten the public with punishment for not complying. No education or explanation given, just warnings and possible fines for not complying.

Earth Log, 2000s
China was now buying the bulk of America’s recycling inventory.
Many Townships change strategy to make more money…
Let the people recycle contaminated items and tough on China.
After all, many Townships concluded, people are lazy and don’t care. People will recycle more if they no longer had to rinse or sort. Again this would mean tough on China and more money for politicians.

Earth Log, 2010s
China communicates to the U.S. in 2012, that the paper labels on all the new plastic water bottles is at a 10% level of contamination and needs to drop to 1.5%. China is now purchasing two-thirds of America’s recyclable scrap, according to a 2011 report from the Institute of Scrap Recyclers (ISRI). The same holds true for food waste on aluminum, plastic containers, and cardboard.
Manufacturers step in to help with replacing paper labels on plastic water bottles with plastic labels and reducing the amount of plastic in every water bottle. Thus, making them weight less and hold a lower monetize value.

Most American Recycling no longer required:

Rinsing out cans, glass and plastic bottles
Removing the paper labels from all cans, glass and plastic bottles
Sorting of any kind

Earth Log, 2020
China stopped buying America’s contaminated recyclable scrap.
Many Townships no longer accept plastic above the number two.
Many Townships no longer accept glass bottles! Glass was one of the first items ever to be recycled and is now thrown into Landfills.

Recycle, recycling, sabotage, plastic, plastic bottles, recycling program, waste, glass, paper, trees, sorting, China, Townships, going green, going true green, sustainability, sustainable living

America's Unwanted Recyclable Scrap

America’s recycling scrap is piling up in warehouses and parking lots.

Sad state of affairs. We did this to ourselves because of greed.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!